Parkland boys win first state volleyball title

Parkland takes on Fox Chapel in the PIAA 3A boys volleyball championship Saturday in State College.

Parkland takes on Fox Chapel in the PIAA 3A boys volleyball championship Saturday in State College.

Dante TerenzioSpecial to The Morning Call

Parkland boys volleyball team wins first-ever PIAA championship title

STATE COLLEGE — Once Parkland gained momentum, nothing could deny the Trojans of capturing their first-ever state title on Saturday.

Down a set and trailing 16-11 in the second, the Trojans flipped the switch and upended Fox Chapel 21-25, 25-22, 25-16, 25-23 in the PIAA Class 3A championship at Penn State's Rec Hall.

Not only was it a historic day for the Trojans' boys team, but for the school district. With the win, the Parkland boys join the Lady Trojans volleyball team as PIAA champions in the 2014-2015 school year. In fact, both teams finished unbeaten, combining for a 50-0 record.

"This is an incredible feeling," senior Sean Lewis said. "We knew we had the players we needed to be state competitors. This is what we've worked for all year. I'm glad we did it with this team."

The first set saw back-and-forth action all the way to 18-18. The Foxes took control and went on a 7-3 run to capture the first set.

"There were nerves early on," Parkland head coach Scott Trumbauer said. "Once we got those out we were ok. It was just a matter of finding what we wanted and going after it."

Parkland takes on Fox Chapel in the PIAA 3A boys volleyball championship Saturday in State College.

(CHRIS KNIGHT / SPECIAL TO THE MORNING CALL)

The large and usually loud Trojan crowd went silent when Fox Chapel jumped out to a 16-11 second set advantage. Then came a timeout. And that's when the Trojans, and the fans, woke up.

Many Parkland players had a hand in the 14-6 run that won the second set. The Trojans brought that momentum into a dominant third set.

The Trojans' used a mix of solid defense and hustle to jump out to a 11-6 lead. Andrew Hillman (26 assists, 11 digs) ignited the Trojans with five of his 10 kills in the third. Parkland would move into the fourth set with a huge boost of momentum.

Kyle Stout's two kills early in the fourth set gave the Trojans an early 8-3 advantage. Fox Chapel stayed within striking distance at 11-9 before Stout and Bryce Galloway combined for four kills in a 10 point span. The Trojans held a 16-12 lead and appeared to be on their way to winning the title, but the Foxes would not go away.

Backed by four Jaysen Zaleski kills, the Foxes crept back into the set and even took a 19-17 advantage.

Trumbauer called a much-needed timeout to regroup his team, which proved to be the difference.

The Trojans closed out the match on a 8-4 run. Jack Dreisbach put the ball down on match point to give Parkland (24-0) the state title.

"We realized we could lose sets but can still come back," Hillman said. "Sending the seniors out with a state title is what we wanted all season."

Stout had a team-high 14 kills while Lewis and Jake Heyer combined for 13. Defensively, Jared Silverstein sparked the Trojans with 15 digs.

"I had the easy part," Stout said. "Our defense, especially Jared Silverstein, was solid. All I had to do was jump and swing."

Trumbauer spoke the importance of the Trojans' depth. In practice all season, the starters were pushed by their teammates. That luxury gave the Trojans an edge over the state's best.

"We are fortunate to compete well in practice. Every day, any given position, we are one, two or three deep. A true championship team has this type of depth," Trumbauer said. "To add ourselves to the list of the state's best, this is big for the program."